Links – 2008-10-20
Some quick notes before we jump into these:
1. Del.icio.us is still messed up, but I can still see what you send me. Please continue to send links via del.icio.us and I’ll excerpt them here.
2. I’m over at Jezebel this week, cohosting Crappy Hour with Megan. Normally, those posts go up before noon, first one is up now.
At any rate, on to the links.
Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama! I watched the Meet the Press interview and I was pleased. However, we all knew it was only a matter of time before some jackass decided Colin just did it because Obama’s black. Obviously, Alan Keyes, Al Sharpton, Carol Mosely-Braun, and Cynthia McKinney are all benefiting from Colin’s past endorsements. And it is also obvious that blacks never think about our votes – we all just fall in line. *sigh*
I fell behind on reading The Kitchen Table, but I won’t make that mistake again. Dr. Yolanda Pierce wrote a post called “Six Packs and Such,” asking a question I know I’ve had – who exactly is this mythical Joe Sixpack?
To glorify Joe Six Pack as the only genuine American, as the real moral and political core of our country, is to invalidate the experiences of all the other folks in America, folks who are people of color, women, non-Christians, city dwellers, or educated. When only Joe Six Pack becomes the target audience for political commercials, tax cuts, legislation, and economic incentives, we ignore the fact that most of this nation does not fit this profile. And finally, we ignore the fact that despite the rhetoric, none of our current political candidates currently fit the Joe Six Pack mode, although some of them have come from humble beginnings. When Sarah Palin indicated that her retirement portfolio lost $20,000 in one week (which means there was much more in there to begin with), she lost her street credentials as a Joe Six Pack wife.
And Melissa Harris-Lacewell never disappoints, discussing what it means when people talk about “real Americans” in her post “Citizen Melissa:”
Barack does not look into the camera and decry racism because we are not really Americans. We are not allowed to express our political needs or tell our political histories because when we do it makes other people feel uncomfortable. African Americans are still supposed to be grateful for being saved from the “savagery of Africa,” civilized by the cross, offered the crumbs of capitalism, and given the chance to die for the flag. Our sacrifices and our suffering are still elective courses, not required reading. Barack does not talk to Melissa the professor because if he did he would be labeled a special interest politician, even though worrying about Joe the Plumber is somehow universal. Barack does not mention that he is under special attack because of his race because silence about America’s racial legacy is the price of admission to the social contract.
Also not to be missed is Melissa Harris-Lacewell’s discussion of Colin Powell’s status as a popular black Republican – which reminds me that we have a long overdue conversation about conservatives of color to open on this site.
Powell’s conservatism appears to be more about an authentic commitment to certain ideals and less about personal profit. Powell’s heritage is West Indian and his professional life is rooted in the US military. This makes his attachment to certain conservative institutions and ideas unsurprising. Most recently, Powell’s sense of duty, honor, and commitment to the chain-of-command has not personally benefited and aggrandized him, as it has cost him tremendously. His willingness to make the US case for the War in Iraq is a terrible blemish on his professional record, but he did it out of commitment to his post. I disagree with Powell on dozens of issues and I believe he should have resigned rather than drag his nation into this unholy conflict, but I can also understand the place where he stood and the choices he made. African Americans do not require conformity of thought, we simply expect that public persons are driven by some ideal higher than putting Rupert Murdoch’s FOXNews cash in their pockets. That is why we managed to like Colin even as we disagreed with him.
The Politico digs a little deeper into the “Racists for Obama” trend:
“What you see is it’s perfectly possible to hold a negative view of at least one aspect of African-Americans and yet simultaneously prefer Obama,” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Racial feelings are not as cut and dried — not as black and white — as people often say.”
Parvez Sharma blogs at the Huffington Post on “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being:”
My politics remain constrained. I even thoughtfully consulted my immigration lawyer before I wrote this. I cannot go and work for the Obama campaign as many of my US citizen friends seem to be doing this Fall, she said. Just last night, I watched Lou Dobbs spit out “alien” with anger and venom once again, and realized that, as I wait for my green card to arrive by next year, I cannot really hope to participate in the political process. The arrival of that card, however, will move me only one meager step up on that ladder to being a “resident alien.” The passport would still be many years away and I wonder, if Iran and America become increasingly indistinguishable, would I want one? As Sarah Palin, the newest spokesperson for “feminism” smoothly delivers yet another prepared (and repetitive) text, I shudder to think what may become of this nation. One commentator on the networks during the RNC even dared to say that the sheer numbers of mostly Caucasians in the room made her deeply uncomfortable.
A young Muslim-American friend calls. We talk about — what else — the election I cannot participate in. He says he is as American as anybody else (and I know that because he grew up in suburban, out-in-the-boonies Texas) but is worried if he went out and openly campaigned for Obama, he would damage Obama’s prospects with White voters. He has many “hockey moms” in his neighborhood and really and urgently wants to talk to them. He reminds me that just a few months ago women wearing the Hijab were barred from appearing in the same camera shot with Obama. I remember that. He also repeats the comments overheard at his workplace on the sexual appeal of the female candidate and especially her ‘legs’. Clearly Palin is not part of the “sisterhood of travelling pantsuits”.
The Women and Hollywood blog asks a provocative question – Will The Secret Life of Bees Suffer the Bradley Effect?
Hollywood does advance tracking of its films just like political campaigns do exit polls. The Secret Life of Bees opens tomorrow and the LA Times raised the question of whether white moviegoers (i.e white women) will see the movie even if they told the trackers that they were interested.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Fatemeh wrote:
I knew you had it in you, Colin! THANK YOU.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 12:57 pm ¶
Jess wrote:
I think Colin Powell is a principled man. That’s why I think he was so damned mad. I would be too if my boss basically hung me out to dry by saying “Don’t worry, we can back this up” while I go out and spout nonsense to the whole world. I don’t think he ever quite forgave BushCo. for that one.
And in his position, as a person who believes fundamentally that qualified, professional people should be running the government, that loyalty to country is more important than loyalty to party, well, hell yes Obama would get his support.
That said, i don’t understand why the idea of a PoC that’s a conservative is so weird to anyone. There are loads of reasons — we talked about some in relation to Vietnamese and Cuban voters– that a PoC might describe themselves as such.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I would not expect many Filipinos to be saying that abortion rights and Planned Parenthood are something they’d support, given that the country is heavily Catholic. (For the same reasons, I might add, that many older Italian-Americans or Irish-Americans don’t support abortion rights either).
Nor do I think it a shock if a Cuban — even an Afro-Cuban — says he hates Castro, communists and all that and wants to vote Republican because they say they’ll change things in Cuba.
Nor is it a surprise that a Jamaican or Indian small business owner might listen if you say you’ll cut down the red tape and cut his taxes. So what? PoCs are people with a million different interests and needs like anybody else. The GOP made a lot of gains among Latino voters in the last cycle for that very reason (though those gains seem to have evaporated this time around).
Or am I just dumb? People vote their perceived interests and values, not what theory says they should, and not everybody places the same importance on the same things.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 1:27 pm ¶
thew wrote:
wonderful surprise to see you at Crappy Hour today! even better since your a morning person! CH needs some sunshine and coherency. looking forward to the rest of the week.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 1:33 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@thew –
Thanks! It’s fun to have a chance to really wonk out somewhere, especially how I’m fighting really hard not to let this blog become overwhelmed with politics talk.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 1:39 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
“To glorify Joe Six Pack as the only genuine American…”
I wrote a piece about Joe The Plumber’s history going back to the Bluebloods, Nascar Dads, Soccermoms, etc. It gets into the long running race-baiting of both parties in a desire to keep White Voters.
http://www.hustleknockin.com/hustleknockin/2008/10/joe-the-plumber.html
or
http://digg.com/political_opinion/Yo_Joe_Joe_the_Plumber_vs_The_Big_Payback
or
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 1:53 pm ¶
Marjannaa wrote:
With regards to Colin Powell, what impressed me most was not the endorsement for Obama (which is a definite bonus!). It was his declaration that even if Obama had been Muslim, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. After a campaign (on both sides) that threw around the word ‘Muslim’ like it was an abomination, I was very elated to hear Mr. Powell, in a way, chastise this notion. Well done, General.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 3:04 pm ¶
Nina wrote:
And did you all see the Repub. reactions as posted on salon.com today:
*****
Rush Limbaugh sets the tone:
From Politico’s Jonathan Martin:
“Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race,” Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail. “OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I’ll let you know what I come up with.”
In “Affirmative Action at Its Highest Level,” RedState diarist Andrew Bolton follows suit:
So Colin Powell has endorsed Obama. Let’s see, Powell is pro-abortion. So is Obama. Powell is pro-affirmative action. So is Obama. Powell has stated repeatedly that tax policy should ensure fairness. Obama likewise wants to “spread the wealth.” The endorsement of Obama only demonstrates what unpaid prognosticators could have told those million dollar a year experts years ago. Powell never was a Republican. He has been aligned with the Democrats from the day of his retirement from service.
… Affirmative action is now at its zenith here. A unqualified candidate for president who has never run anything; who has never governed anything; and who has policies precisely on line with Karl Marx — is going to be put into our highest office solely due to his race. Doubt me? Just ask if Obama would be where he is at if he were a white man. The answer is inevitable.
National Review’s Mark Steyn doesn’t play the race card directly, but merely accuses Powell of currying favor with the front-runner.
The staterooms on the bandwagon are pretty much taken. Standing room only now … A “transformational” president with a Pelosi House and a filibuster-proof Senate. Thanks, Colin!”
But for the true taste of rage, FreeRepublic is your one-stop shop. As excerpted by DailyKos diarist pucklady:
POWELL IS DESPICABLE!! He owes EVERYTHING to Republicans, but BLACKNESS is the ONLY thing that matters!!! Obama want to RUIN THE MILITARY and bring down MAERICA to THIRD WORLD STATUS!!
… Dr. King’s dream is dead. It’s totally about the color of skin for these people. The content of ones character has ZERO bearing on their decision.
****
Love that last one! UGH! Dr. King must be turning in his grave!
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 6:11 pm ¶
merq wrote:
Like many on Gawker said, it’s no surprise that a douchefuck like Limbaugh would say such a thing. What disturbed me was the following piece I read in an AP-derived article this morning.
I had to reread that bit a few times to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Unless I’m (still) missing something, the article is basically saying that while one would traditionally expect Powell to endorse McCain because of his party affiliations and foreign policy experience, he endorsed Barack because he’s black — and nobody’s surprised by that.
Really, AP? Really???
Also,
Amen! I was so tired of yelling that at my television. Actually, it was Obama’s inability to say “but what would be so wrong about me being a muslim?” that made me lose a decent amount of respect for him. I know he’s probably just doing what he needs to to get elected, but… damn.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 7:33 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:
Predictably, an army of dumbass pundits are already joining Limbaugh’s cries of reverse racism.
I don’t read them myself, for the sake of my sanity, I just encounter it second-hand through political humor sites.
Powell wasn’t so black when he was lying to the UN about WMDs
“Not long after Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama, folks on the right suddenly remembered something they’d forgotten for two long decades. Colin Powell is black!”
Base: How Low Can You Go?
“In less camera-shy quadrants of the wingnutosphere, Rush Limbaugh, Mike Gallagher, Pat Buchanan, the Freepi, Judith Apter Isosceles Perambulate Marcalculate Klinghoffer, and many, many others determine that Colin Powell is a huge racist for endorsing Barack Obama. Because, you see, they are both black. The Media Blog goes a half-step further, proving by induction that all black people are racist, and the only option for decent people is to repay them in kind: ‘So, the next time a black person throws around the charge of racism feel free to ignore it. Better yet, you might want to tell them that it is nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black.’”
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 7:53 pm ¶
CJsDaddy wrote:
@Jess – nice comment.
On a similar note – I personally don’t think that being a conservative precludes one from being anti-racist. I believe the conservative case can be made from within the context of diversity.
I don’t know how conservative Gen. Powell really is – I’ve always known him as a fairly moderate Republican.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 10:07 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:
There are a few things that make me leery about Colin Powell, and I’ll let Wikipedia explain one:
“Six months [after the My Lai Massacre], Tom Glen, a 21-year-old soldier of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, wrote a letter to General Creighton Abrams, the new overall commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, accusing the American Division (and other entire units of the U.S. military) of routine and pervasive brutality against Vietnamese civilians. The letter was detailed and its contents echoed complaints received from other soldiers. Colin Powell, then a 31-year-old Army Major, was charged with investigating the letter, which did not specifically reference My Lai (Glen had limited knowledge of the events there). In his report Powell wrote: “In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent.” Powell’s handling of the assignment was later characterized by some observers as “whitewashing” the atrocities of My Lai.”
He also supported the arming of the Contras in Nicaragua and the invasion of Panama. And after the first Gulf war, when he was asked how many Iraqis died he said that the number didn’t interest him.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 10:18 pm ¶
Shaina wrote:
Wow, the Colin Powell thing is pretty shocking. For some reason, I had him pegged in my mind as some sort of conservative. Who knew!
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 12:46 am ¶
Sean wrote:
Let’s see… I recall Joe Lieberman – a democrat – throwing his support behind John McCain… with nary a mention about race.
Why can’t Colin Powell give his endorsement to who he wants?
Second, I would surmise that Colin Powell was aware that Barack Obama was an African-American two years ago, no? If it was a simple issue of race, why didn’t he support Obama, then?
While Rush Limbaugh is checking on Powell’s past endorsements, he should also check how many “inexperienced, very liberal, black candidates he has endorsed” and let us know what he comes up with.
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 10:13 am ¶
summer wrote:
hi latoya,
i was kinda surprised to see you saying that you were over at jezebel. from that “mocking a culture, mocking a friend” post and follow-up comments, i didn’t get the impression that you respected them too much.
did something change between now and then, or was my impression mistaken?
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 8:19 pm ¶
Marjannaa wrote:
Merq, I know how you feel. I expected it from the Republicans, but when Obama and his campaign got into repudiating everything Muslim, it hurt more than words can describe. Congrats to Obama nonetheless. A change is desperately needed, for us Canadians too!
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 8:41 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Summer –
Heya. My issues with Jezebel started way before that post. There was another post and another situation that we didn’t blog about, that started things. However, Racialicious doesn’t really like blog beef, so we contacted Jez directly. We posted the Mocking a Culture, Mocking a Friend post because that shit was beyond the pale, and we had to call it out.
While it didn’t have the reaction I would have liked from the poster, I had some very good conversations with the editor of Jez. We then did a post about some of these issues posted only on Jez.
So, as can sometimes happen with a group blog, I started paying attention and noticed all the posts I had issues with came from the same two people. I spoke to the editor, she spoke to me, we both made our points, and we agreed to disagree. Ultimately, I can’t tell her to run her blog anymore than she can tell me how to run mine, and I respect her decisions.
That said, I came out of the situation with a heavy respect for the editor and senior editor and a lot of admiration for what they do.
(I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the bloggers I had issues with have either left the blog or severely downgraded their posting, which also helped me feel a bit better about the situation.)
So, I and some of the editors over at Jez stay in touch, send each other tips, that kind of thing. I met Megan over Happy Hour not too long ago, and our convos there turned into an invite to crappy hour.
So, in sum, no, you weren’t mistaken – we just handled a lot of it the old fashioned way. (You know, like, talking to people and shit.) I’m still not a fan of either of those bloggers – and I’m sure they aren’t fans of mine – but I’d rather talk about the people I like, and ignore the other mess.
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 8:58 pm ¶
LM wrote:
Latoya, thanks for laying out your dialogue with Jezebel. It’s a good model for people to see.
Posted 22 Oct 2008 at 12:32 am ¶
summer wrote:
thanks, latoya. i appreciate your breaking it down for me.
i, too, am no fan of drama, let alone blog drama, so i understand.
Posted 22 Oct 2008 at 10:13 pm ¶